Wanting (original 2008; edition 2010)

ebook

Favorite quotes which seem to express Flanagan's story:

Ellen Ternan noted these thoughts jotted in Dickens' journal that he had accidentally left behind...
"The wind is rushing after us, and the clouds are flying after us, and the moon is plunging after us, and the wholly wild night is in pursuit of us; but, so far, we are pursued by nothing else." and "You can have whatever you want, only you discover there is always a price. The question is -- can you pay?" (p. 203)

Later, in the closing of his play...
"'What is it?' asked Dickens, with words Ellen Ternan had never heard before, unscripted words. She looked at him in shock, not knowing what was happening. 'The way we are denied love,' he continued, and she, along with the audience, could hear how hard it was for him to say these words. 'And the way we suddenly discover it being offered us, in all its pain and infinite heartbreak. The way we say no to love.' (p. 239)

"And at that moment, Dickens knew he loved her. He could no longer discipline his undisciplined heart. And he, a man who had spent a life believing that giving in to desire was the mark of a savage, realised he could no longer deny wanting." (p. 241) ( )

Last month’s book Wanting by Richard Flanagan certainly left a few of us wanting. Left us wanting more direction, more continuity and a movie version please!
It has been a while since we have had so many of our group give up on a book with at least half never finishing this novel and for much the same reasons; very disjointed with the story line jumping around too much and tenuously connected characters. Nadine felt that the writer was just trying to be too clever, leaving most readers simply ‘not getting it’. There were a few head nods around the table at this comment, so Nadine was not alone.

On the other side there were a few who could see the book’s merit, but would not go so far as to say they enjoyed it. Respected it and its writer would have to be its highest reward given by our group. And then Jeanette brought us to our senses and announced that she loved this book and proceeded to point out the humour and the wonderfully descriptive passages of London and its characters. She found the writing intelligent and the contrast of civilisation and savagery brilliantly done. Viti agreed with her and we then found ourselves delving into the title’s meaning and where it was relevant throughout the book. We discussed Richard Flanagan’s other novels, which some of us had read and we marvelled at how each of them seem to be written in a different style. Something very unusual indeed, forcing at least some of us to try him again.
But it was universally agreed … we still want a movie! ( )

The books are both well written but therin lies the problem. Wanting is composed of two parallel stories: one of Charles Dickens between the time his daughter died and the time he met the actress Ellen Ternan. The other is Sir John Franklin, his wife Jane, and the aborigine girl Matthina they adopt in Van Dimen's island as it was then called. The Dickens book was reasonably routine, reading more like biography than novel. The Franklin book -- or really the Matthina book -- was more fascinating, especially the heartbreaking description of a girl who goes from exiled aborigine to adopted daughter to ignored daughter to abandoned. The problem was that I didn't find these two stories worked well together and that having them in one cover subtracted rather than added.

That said, would still recommend this book to anyone and would look forward to reading more by Richard Flanagan. ( )

Historical fiction at its best - based on the facts, which are sometimes minimal but with fleshed out character's dialogue, emotions and motivations;
Dickens, Nel, Lady Jane, Sir John Franklin and Mathinna ( )